Nokia has begun rolling out its updated Camera Extras and Cinemagraph app to all Windows Phone users this month, with the Lumia 900, 800 and 710 smartphones receiving the new features to bring functionality up to speed with what Lumia owners can enjoy with Windows Phone 8 (see above shot of the Lumia 920).

While this doesn't add all functionality that's missing from the 7.8 update (compared to Windows Phone 8), it's a welcomed update from Nokia to bring Cinemagraph to those who chose first generation hardware.

So what's new in both Camera Extras and Cinemagraph? The former introduces object remover when editing photos and will provide consumers the ability to enrich pictures with "increased freedom and fun." Which features are brought across to Lumia Windows Phone 7.x handsets? We're talking about Smart Shoot, Panorama, Action Shot and a self-timer.

The updated version uses burst mode to take a sequence of photos so you can choose your favourite shot and then remove unwanted moving objects (as noted above with the object remover). With the UI improvements implemented, it feels like the Smart Camera found on latest Nokia Windows Phones.

We're all familiar with Cinemagraph, so it doesn't require much explaining. The app will provide Windows Phone 7.x Lumia handsets with the popular and well-loved image movie creator. It's a useful feature that enables users to record a video and have it turned into an animated image, which can subsequently be shared with friends over social networks and / or memories.nokia.com. Here's one we made:

It's good to see Nokia implementing new features for those who continue to use older generations of Windows Phones. In the blog post detailing these improvements, it's stated Lumia 510 and 610 owners will see the updates in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. You can download Camera Extras and Cinemagraph from the Windows Phone Store.

Reader comments

Nokia Camera extras is already there in WP 7.8. But the self timer option, which is available in WP 7.5 & 7.8, is not available in WP 8. Thats something i'm missing in my NL 920 ! & even the Nokia Data Counter !

I waited so long for this to come and I'm super excited to share that it works better than expected. It's amazing! The only thing I would like is a way to share Cinemagraphs to SkyDrive or see my own personal gallery on the web so I can download them from there on the PC. Best solution I've found so far is copying the URL to OneNote and open it from there on the PC.